Just A Moment
by BellaBonnie
Summary: Bella, Alice and Rosalie have just finished college and are headed off to the Caribean for a singles cruise. The fun vacation is overshadowed by nightmares that Bella is having about a bronze-haired boy who is trying to kill her. What will she do when she
1. Bruises

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Twilight, and the basis of the characters were spawned in the great mind of Stephenie Meyer…

BPOV

It was a normal, rainy day at Forks High School. Gossip was flowing freely in the halls, students were complaining about the new reading material in English, and I was anxiously awaiting lunch so I could plan our monthly shopping trip to Olympia with Alice and Rosalie, my two best friends. I had never been particularly fond of shopping, but this time was different. I had been obsessively anticipating the release of the fifth and final novel in the series I was reading by Julie Garwood, For the Roses. It was a historical romance, and I found myself able to easily get lost in it as it provided a diversion from my normally romance ridden life. Not that I was really complaining, I never really took an interest in the boys at school, but that didn't stop them from taking an interest in me. Alice and Rosalie tried unsuccessfully to get me to break out of my shell and date the simple minded muscle that for some reason seemed to drool over me, but I was far too insecure to fall into a meaningless high school relationship.

I trudged my way through the crowded hallways into the cafeteria. I looked around for Alice, who always met me at the food line so she could tell me what I was eating that day. I never minded Alice picking out my food for me; it was usually healthy and somewhat satisfying. It bothered me that she felt I couldn't make a decision on my own, but she was probably right. If it were up to me, I'd live off of pop tarts and lemonade.

I searched the hallways, then peeked my head back into the cafeteria; no Alice. I looked around for Rosalie, who I could usually find perched crossed legged on top of the lunch tables with the entire ogling football team, but she wasn't there. I made my way into the line and decided that if I was going to pick out lunch for myself today, it was going to be worth it; pizza and french fries!

I was about halfway through the line when I spotted them. They were already seated at a table together with three of the godliest looking creatures I had ever laid eyes on. Did we get new students today? The scene in front of me was puzzling; none of them were looking at each other or speaking. Their eyes seemed to drift off into space, and students seemed to be _afraid_ of them! They looked pale, and strikingly beautiful. Even Rosalie, who I couldn't imagine being more gorgeous than she already was, seemed to exude more radiance than I thought possible. The thing that bothered me the most was that it didn't appear that they were looking for me, ready to waive me into their little circle and introduce me to their newest match making prospect.

I briefly caught the attention of Alice and I waved, but she quickly looked away, a confused smirk on her face. That's when I saw _him_. A beautiful, pale, bronze haired boy and he was looking directly at me. His eyes were a deep black, and I couldn't tear myself away from them. His brow started to furrow in confusion. He was staring at me so intently that I thought his eyes were going to laser a hole straight through to my brain. This was too much; the most exquisite person I had ever seen was looking straight 

at me. I started to tear my eyes away as I felt the heat rise in my cheeks and I could imagine the bright color of red I was turning, and that's when it happened. My legs collapsed and everything went black.

I could faintly feel a throbbing in my head and the strange beeping in the background. God, what did I hit on my way down? Was it so bad that I ended up in the hospital? I realized then that I was still lying on the hard floor and my eyes shot open in a panic. I looked around to survey my situation, and the beeping was so loud in my ears that it brought me swiftly back to reality.

I climbed up to my knees and slammed the snooze on my alarm clock. It was just a dream. I still felt the slight pounding of my head, and realized I must have fallen out of bed and knocked my skull on the nightstand. I half ran to the bathroom to assess the damage and already noticed a bruise starting to form on my forehead. Great, what a perfect way to start my vacation.

It was just a dream. Or was it a nightmare? It was so real, so vividly clear, like it was a real memory I had stored somehow. There was something strangely scary about the boy and my friends. In any case, it was something. Before the memory could fade, I rushed back to my room and opened my diary. I had been keeping a dream book for years, and this was one I definitely had to jot down. As I replayed the parts and wrote them down, I determined that for some reason this was much more than a dream or a nightmare. It was… a moment. I wrote that down. It was an actual something, and somewhere in the back of my mind I knew there was more to come from this.


	2. Clothes, Shoes and Camera Equipment

Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Twilight!

APOV

I was so excited I could barely stand still long enough to let the conditioner sit in my hair. Today, me and by two best friends Bella and Rosalie were setting sail on the high seas, off on a singles mingles cruise to the Caribbean! Although Rosalie and I never needed an excuse to meet men, Bella did. She had never been clear of herself or her natural beauty, and now she had no more excuses! We all graduated from Arizona State University this summer, and now we were going to relish in the break we haven't had since the summer after high school.

I was quite thrilled with myself for organizing this little week long vacation. I was anxious to put my Bachelors Degree in fashion design to good use and I had created some pretty hot little numbers for the three of us over the last few weeks. I was sure that Bella was going to put up a fight about the bikini and cocktail dress I had made for her, but I knew she would see it my way once she saw how stunning she looked in it.

I quickly finished my shower, styled my spiky black hair and donned the sexy but comfortable traveling outfit I had prepared. Comfort was not usually my motto, but we had a 3 hour flight to Florida, and I wasn't about to sacrifice my carefully planned wardrobe to the musky and cramped quarters of an airplane.

I decided I better call Bella and make sure she was up and getting ready. Bella was not usually a morning person, and if I didn't know any better, she would purposely sleep in and try to make us late and miss our flight. She was about excited about this trip as she was about giving blood. Meeting strange men and being forced to mingle with them on a cruise ship was not her idea of fun, but the mention of the great photo opportunities convinced her to go. She had achieved her Bachelors in Visual Arts with a focus on photography, and she was amazingly talented.

Before I was able to get to the phone it started ringing.

"Hello?"

"Hey Alice, it's me."

"Bella? I was just about to call you and make sure you got your lazy butt outta bed. Does this mean you're actually excited about this trip after all?"

"Hardly. I just had a strange… dream that woke me up. Are you ready to go?"

"I just got dressed. I just have to finish packing my last minute things and I'm out the door. Have you called Rosalie yet?"

"No, she probably woke up extra early just to get in another half hour at the gym. I'll bet she's on her way."

"Okay I'll call her. As soon as she gets here we are on our way. Try to cheer up Bells, this is going to be so much fun!"

"Whatever you say Alice, no one bets against you, right?"

"That's the spirit! See you soon!"

"Bye…"

RPOV

I got to Alice's apartment in record time. Traffic was unheard of at this time on a Sunday morning, so I cruised my beamer up to 95 down the 101 and was there in 20 minutes. It was cool in the Phoenix air in the mornings, a nice relief from the 100 degree weather during the day. I was able to put the top down on my convertible and let the wind cool me down from the brisk run I was able to fit in this morning. I took meticulous care of my body, and the only complaints I had about this cruise was that I would be away from the gym for a week. I had recently gotten my Bachelors Degree in exercise science, and keeping fit was something I loved and something I admired.

Not bothering to knock, I strolled into Alice's tiny apartment and called out,

"Hey pixie, your lovely and single best friend is here to whisk you away for a week!"

I heard a lot of huffing and puffing coming from the bedroom, and I cautiously made my way back. Alice was not the type to have sleepovers with one night stands, but I figured I better put my hand over my eyes just in case. I lightly tapped on her bedroom door, and it opened slightly. I peeked through my fingers and saw the source of all the ruckus, a tiny Alice and five large bags, struggling to topple her to the floor.

"Alice! What do you think you are doing, moving onto the ship? We're only going to be gone for a week!"

A low growl made came from her frustrated lips,

"Are you going to help me or not?"

I laughed and picked up two large suitcases and hoisted them out to the living room.

"Good grief, what do you have in here, bricks?"

"No silly, shoes!"

We both laughed and carried them out to the car. Once we got everything packed in the trunk, we locked up her apartment and headed out to Bella's house. We made it to her place again, in record time. I wasn't surprised to find just two bags in her midst, a small carry on and a larger duffel bag.

"Oh this won't do, Bella," I said.

"I pack smart," she responded. "I already knew that you two were going to pack enough for two months, I figured that Alice probably packed a whole wardrobe for me anyway, so I just brought enough reading material and camera equipment to keep me busy while the two of you are off shamelessly flirting. "

I grinned and looked over at Alice who was bouncing up and down excitedly, probably because Bella wasn't going to put up much of a fight over how Alice decided to dress her this week.

We crammed Bella's things into what little trunk space we had left, and piled into the car to begin what was sure to be one of the best weeks of our lives. At the moment I had that thought, I really had no idea how true that really was going to be.


	3. Sparkling

**Chapter 3**

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Twilight!

**EPOV **

It was an unbelievably nice day outside - quite unusual for Washington. The sun was shining, and it was a mild 65 degrees. I found myself walking through a meadow, but was overwhelmed by an immense feeling of déjà-vu.

_Have I been here before?_

The meadow was nearly a perfect circle, and the most wonderful wildflowers were growing everywhere.

I felt calm and at peace, as I sat down, and closed my eyes. The most wonderful smell enveloped my nostrils.

_What was that? Freesias'?_

I abruptly opened my eyes, only to discover the most beautiful pair of chocolate brown iris' staring back at me. Before I even knew what I was doing, I was crouched in an attack position. Everything turned red.

I felt powerful and…thirsty. My throat was burning. I lunged at the beautiful creature in front of me, throwing her to the ground with such force I could have sworn I felt the earth shake. Just as I bent down to the pulsating lump in her throat, I noticed my own hands that I was using to hold her down.

_Was I…sparkling_?

"Why am I sparkling?!"

I yelled. Awakened with a start, I soon realized where I was. I must have fallen asleep on the plane. As I took in my still hazy surroundings, I noticed Jasper, and Emmett sitting next to me; uncontrollable laughter spilling from them.

"What's so damn funny?"

Emmett pointed a shaky finger at me, "You're sparkling!"

I was sure that it was just a dream, but nevertheless, I looked down at my hands and arms. Nothing seemed to be unusual, but Jasper and Emmett were still laughing.

My two best friends had talked me into coming on a five day singles cruise to the Caribbean with them, and now they were laughing at my expense. I didn't even want to be here, and this made me all the more anxious to get off of the plane, and immediately purchase a ticket back home.

"Edward, you just yelled in your sleep 'Why am I sparkling?'" Jasper choked out through his laughter.

I was never one to blush, but I felt the embarrassment rise in my cheeks at Jasper's words.

_Had I really said that aloud?_

I looked around cautiously, and sure enough, half the plane was riddled in hushed giggles.

_Great! _

I put my face in my hands and grumbled quietly. What a great way to start this trip!

Thinking back to the dream I couldn't help noticing how odd it was. It felt so real. The woman with the beautiful chocolate brown eyes; who was she? Although I couldn't remember much about her, she was stunning.

_Why did I want to kill her? Why did I want to drink her blood like some damn vampire? _

I felt Jaspers hand slap me on the back, and pull me out of my reverie.

"Don't worry about it man, we're landing now. You'll never have to see any of these people ever again."

I dared a glance in his direction, and I noticed he was still holding back his laughter. Emmett was still knee slapping, not even trying to contain his loud guffaws. I rolled my eyes, and started out the window as we descended into Tampa. This was going to be a long week.

Once we had landed, I walked off the plane and jerked my neck back and forth a few times; trying to work out the kinks that had formed during the uncomfortably cramped plane seating. Desperately, I tried to avert my gaze to the floor, not wanting to meet the stares of those who heard my outburst on the plane.

I was hopeful that none of the women on the flight were going to be on the ship. Although I had never had trouble meeting women, (in fact it was almost too easy as most women seemed to throw themselves at me at any given moment) I didn't need this sleep talking fiasco to ruin any chance I had to get laid.

Emmett assured me that most of the women on the ship would be coming from all corners of the country, so I had no ties to anyone I met here. My friends had decided this was the best thing for me, since my recent breakup with Tanya.

"I need a beer," Emmett said as soon as we began walking through the terminal.

I looked at Jasper out of the corner of my eye, and I knew that it had already started. Emmett's idea of relaxing meant getting shitfaced, with a new girl every night. I rolled my eyes. This was going to be more of a babysitting adventure than it would be about meeting women.

After we picked up our luggage, we made our way out of the airport, and hailed a cab. The weather here reminded me of Phoenix, except there was a slight wetness to the air; humidity.

There were no mountains, but palm trees lined every street corner and strip mall. I somehow found myself already anxious to get home. I had recently taken a new job as editor of the online publication of the Metro Newspaper. It was the type of work that kept me busy constantly, and I craved it more than ever since my breakup with Tanya.

Having all this extra time to think about it wasn't helping anything. It wasn't that I actually loved her, we had been seeing each other on and off for about two years through college. She had decided that instead of just telling me that it was over, she would sleep with every guy in my office, and wait until word trickled down to me. Of course I couldn't work there after that, so not only did she ruin my trust in woman, she ruined my job.

I sighed, and tried to push those thoughts out of my head for now. Maybe getting drunk and getting laid would be good for me. If there was one thing I missed about Tanya it was the sex. It was always amazing, and now that it had been almost three months since being with her, little Eddie and I were getting anxious.

"Look at that boys," Emmett exclaimed.

He had a wide grin on his face as he was rubbing his stomach up and down. I looked towards his line of sight and noticed the huge ocean liner and the mass of people waiting to board.

"I told ya, Edward, plenty of opportunity!"

I gave Emmett a wary smile, as we got our things, and headed towards the ship. I decided to check out the scenery, and Emmett was right. There were tons of gorgeous women everywhere.

"Well, at least it won't be a sausage fest then," Jasper said.

"Yeah, I figured it would be mostly desperate men looking for no strings attached sex, and here we are crowded by women. We must be outnumbered at least 3 to 1."

No sooner than I had finished my sentence, Emmett had his big arms wrapped around the three ladies in front of us. The girls were giggling, and I thought I heard the mention of a threesome.

I fished my ticket out of my bag, and started moving with Jasper towards the ship. The girls ahead of us boarded, flashed a few cheesy smiles, and simultaneously giggled,

"Bye Emmett!"

He blew them all a kiss before turning back to us.

"Jessica, Victoria, and Lauren: I told them we would meet up with them at the club around seven."

I groaned, "You already set dates up for us? Come on Em we just got here."

I went to continue complaining at Emmett, but was cut off by the boy at the top of the deck asking for our tickets.

"Deck 4, follow the orange marked signs. You're in the bay view suite. Enjoy your stay."

We made it down to our room, and I flopped down on my bed, cautiously wondering how clean the sheets really were. Since this was a weekly cruise for singles, there was a good chance that a lot of sex took place here.

I shivered slightly, and decided to take a shower. Emmett and Jasper were ready to go out and mingle, but I needed a few. I told them I would meet them back here at five.

As they left the room, I heaved a big sigh as I made my way to the bathroom. Turning on the hot water up as high as it would go; I stepped into the hot mist. I couldn't stop myself from saying it again; this was going to be a very long week.


	4. Close Encounter

**Chapter 4 – Close Encounter**

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Twilight!

**BPOV **

Surprisingly, we made it to the airport and through the terminal without incident. With me in tow, there was always something to be desired of my gracefulness. Unlike Alice and Rosalie, who could dance across a room in four inch heels, I'd be lucky enough to walk four feet in tennis shoes without tripping.

Of course the girls had to tease me about the already purple bruise forming on my forehead. I had explained about my dream, but they blew it off as some random craziness that my overactive imagination seemed to have conjured up.

Rosalie insisted on going through a list of boys in high school that the dream could have been about, but I assured them both that someone that gorgeous could not possibly exist.

The conversation then turned to an explicit trip down memory lane, dredging up the many conquests Rosalie had during high school and college. Alice had her fair share of relations as well, although she had only had sex once: some guy she had met in college. His name was Jared or Jason or something like that. According to her, it was the best night of her life, but she had never been compelled to talk about it much afterwards.

Me? My sexual experience was limited, even more so than Alice. I was still a virgin, much to Rosalie's chagrin. She had made it her goal to turn me into a woman by the time we finished college. I had plenty of offers, but had only accepted two.

One, I painfully hated to admit, was the overly anxious Mike Newton. Gah! Just thinking of him left a bad taste in my mouth. He'd had a crush on me since our freshman year in English 101, and he followed me around like a puppy dog.

I had ran into him at a frat party that Rosalie and Alice dragged me too, and three shots and four beers later, I was half naked on an unfamiliar bed while Mike was kneeled between my legs. I had assumed he was trying to pleasure me, but it felt like a sloppy mop had just plunged into my core, and I was soaking wet.

It wasn't my body that was drenching the sheets however, it was his drooling face. I didn't want him to feel bad, so I tried to fake a moan, but instead it caused a twisting motion in my throat, and I sat up and vomited all over him. I hadn't let the bastard kiss me, so I guess this was as close as he thought he was going to get, and he ended up discharging all over his hand. I never saw Mike after that.

Then there was Jake. Ahhh, Jake: the only guy to ever make me truly feel good. We were both inexperienced and a little nervous, which made it even better. We were just friends, even though I knew he wanted something more. We were both in the same media arts class, and had decided to team up for a project.

I invited him over to my dorm because I knew my roommate Angela would be staying with her boyfriend Ben, and we would be able to work uninterrupted. He brought over Cruel Intentions; I guess he had a thing for Reese Witherspoon and the innocent school girl virgin act. He had said she reminded him of me.

We were pretty engrossed into the film, and I was getting pretty hot lusting over Ryan Philippe, when Jake put his hand on my leg. We had been lying next to each other on my bed, and I had to admit my body was already worked up, and the heat of his hand on my leg felt good. I decided that I was going to be brave, and placed my hand on top of his. I slowly pushed his hand up my thigh, not daring to look in his direction. He didn't protest, but allowed me to move his hand further up, until I placed it over my heat on top of my jeans. I chose this moment to look at him, and he was staring at our hands, a lustful look on his face. He slowly looked up at me.

"Bella…" his voice was husky and raw. I had never heard anything so sexy in my life. "Are you sure?"

I couldn't make myself speak at that moment, afraid my squeaky voice would ruin the mood. I opted to push his hand harder against me, and bit my lip at the feeling of the wonderful pressure. I moved my hand away from his, and started to unbutton my jeans; pulling them down to reveal the bright red, cotton boy shorts I had opted for. A slight groan escaped his lips.

Needing no further encouragement from me, he placed his hand back over my mound and he hissed as he felt the wetness already starting to form there. I bucked my hips into his hand, begging him to go further. I could see his erection straining against his pants, and I reached over to help him release the monster I was sure was lurking there. I gasped when I finally saw him in his full glory. I wasn't very familiar with the male anatomy, but I was sure that I had never imagined anything so large in any of my fantasies.

He smiled at my shocked expression, and moved my hand around his shaft. My fingers awkwardly explored him, and they barely reached entirely around his member. He groaned in satisfaction, so that must have meant I was doing something right.

I had almost forgotten about my exposed condition, too engrossed in his beautiful form, but he definitely didn't forget about me. He slid my panties to the side, and expertly moved a finger slowly between my folds. A high pitched moan flew out of my mouth, and I felt myself buck against him.

I wasn't ready to have sex with him, but I wanted some form of release. I removed my hand from him, and touched myself deeply to wet my fingers. I moved back to his even harder cock, and massaged my now wet hand up and down him. His eyes flew back in his head and he plunged two fingers deep inside me. We both moved at a steady pace, and I could feel my walls contracting. I could tell that he was close as well, and I prepared myself for the impending explosion.

"Bella… I'm going to… Don't stop…"

"Jake… Oh God Jake… Please!"

That was all it took, he was releasing his hot semen all over my hand and his shirt. I came just after that, and screamed in pleasure as my orgasm overcame me.

We looked at each other warily, a mischievous grin on his face. I smiled and gave him a chaste kiss. I got up and decided I had better take a shower, and he decided it was about time to head back to his dorm. I think we were both a little embarrassed, and also a little worried that our friendship might not be the same after that.

It was weird, but things went back to normal, as if it had never happened at all. I was glad because I loved Jake as a friend, but nothing more. I was afraid that our little experiment may have encouraged him too much, but he seemed to understand the situation for what it was, just two people enjoying a moment.

We never experienced each other in that way again, but it was a nice memory to have. I couldn't imagine enjoying my first release with anyone other than Jake now that I looked back on it. He eventually met someone at one of his workshop studies and had fallen madly in love. I was happy for him, albeit a little jealous that he had a companion and I did not.

We'd kept in touch throughout the summer, but he had finally got his dream of opening up his own mechanics shop and was pretty busy. He also made plans to ask his girlfriend Laura to marry him, and I decided it may be best to distance myself from his life, so that he could concentrate on his new one with her. I was a little sad, but ultimately happy for him. I would always have that one moment in time that we shared together, and I actually relished in the fact that it was just that; just a moment.

Once boarded, we took our seats near the back of the plane. I was anxious to try and get some rest before we got to Tampa. I didn't sleep very well last night. I was able to convince Rose to give up her window seat, stating that it would be easier for her to check out the eye candy a few rows ahead of us. As the plane began its ascent, I balled up the sweatshirt I had been wearing, and used it as a pillow.

As I drifted into sleep, I found myself in a meadow of thousands of wild flowers. The sun was hiding behind the clouds, and the temperature was mild. I wandered through the tall grass, and let my eyes adjust to all of the colors and shapes before me.

As I neared the center of the meadow, my eyes focused on a tinge of bronze that looked out of place. I walked closer, and I started to recognize the figure. It was the boy from the cafeteria in my dream.

His eyes were closed, and he seemed to be sniffing the air. I didn't want to scare him, but I felt brave enough to approach him. I had a feeling of ease and comfort around him, and I didn't know why.

When I was about a foot away, I noticed his body stiffen. He slowly opened his eyes, and they were the most brilliant crimson color. I was terrified, but I couldn't make myself run. He only looked at me for a moment, before crouching to the ground, ready to attack. Still, I could not make myself move. I was frozen in shock.

It was then that he lunged for me, throwing me back, and crushing me into the ground. I couldn't make my body move, he was so strong! Just as it seemed he was about to take a bite out of my neck, I gasped at the sight before me.

The sun had broken through the clouds, and was casting a ray of light directly upon us. It appeared to bounce off of him like his skin was made of thousands of tiny mirrors. He was… sparkling. He noticed it too, with a look of shock on his face. The next thing I knew he was screaming.

"Why am I sparkling?!"

I awoke to the sound of Alice and Rosalie's hushed laughter. They were leaning into the middle of the isle, staring at something a few rows ahead. I looked in the direction they were pointing, but I didn't see anything.

"What gives?" I croaked, in a sleepy voice.

"Oh sleeping beauty! We're just laughing at the guy up there. Apparently he sparkles."

I looked suspiciously at Rosalie, thinking I must have been talking in my sleep again, and she and Alice decided to make fun of me.

"What did I say now?" I sighed.

Alice and Rose both exchanged confused looks.

"You didn't say anything. You actually looked pretty peaceful," Alice chimed.

I stared at Alice, trying to discern if she was lying or not. She looked worried, but honest.

"What's wrong Bella? You look scared," she said.

"I had another dream."

This got Rosalie's attention. They both looked at me like they were waiting for me to explain. I sighed, reluctant to give them more fuel for the fire.

"It's fine. It was just a dream, no big deal."

I wasn't sure if I was trying to reassure them or myself. Yet again, this dream had felt very real, and very vivid. I actually still had a feeling of panic, and the look on my face must have registered with my friends.

"You don't look fine," Rosalie scoffed.

I rolled my eyes, and looked out the window. I must have been asleep longer than I thought, because we were descending into Tampa.

Alice and Rosalie had decided to leave me alone for now. I took a deep breath and tried to forget about it. Whoever this man was, if he even existed, I was going to stay very far away from him.


	5. Dream Weaver

**Chapter 5 – Dream Weaver**

**EPOV**

Showered and feeling slightly more enthused; I decided to do some exploring. The ship was about to depart, and I still had an hour before I had to meet Emmett and Jasper.

I walked out onto the deck, and watched the port disappear. There was finality in the departure. Here I was, stuck for five days at sea.

I leaned over the railing and stared out at the open sea. I had to admit it was refreshing. I needed this. No work. No school. No bills. No Tanya. This was the first time I had ever felt really free from her. It felt good.

I walked down the deck, and took note of the approving looks I was getting from all the females. I looked down, smiling crookedly as I walked past. I still wasn't used to the way women reacted to me. I guess you could say I was a little modest, not the metro sexual type. I was never able to do anything with my hair. It just kind of stuck out in all sorts of funny directions. I kept it long because it seemed to be a turn on for women to run their fingers through it and pull it gently in the heat of a moment. Okay I have to admit, it turned me on too.

I took a turn into what looked like a small bar, surrounded by small cocktail tables, and a tiny dance floor. There were mirrors everywhere, and dim yellow lighting. It was still early, so the bar was relatively empty. I looked around for someone who could grab me some water, and that's when I saw the sleek and shiny black figure in the corner of the room. It was a baby grand piano, and without a second thought I walked over to inspect it further.

I ran my hands along the glossy finish and I sat down instinctively, pressing a few of the keys. I looked around; no one seemed to be paying attention to me. I started playing a random selection of songs I had learned over the years, letting the music take me somewhere else completely. I don't know how long I was there playing, but when I looked up there was a crowd of people watching me.

I felt slightly embarrassed, but the crowd started applauding appreciatively. I stood up and ran my hand through my hair, muttering quiet thanks.

The crowd dispersed as I walked over to the bar to get something to drink. I noticed a woman with beautiful orange hair approaching me, and I tried to smile at her. It probably looked a little forced, but she didn't seem to notice.

"You play beautifully," she said.

"Er… thanks, ten years of piano lessons," I admitted sheepishly.

"Well it paid off. Do you still play regularly?"

"No, not really. I just happened upon it and I kind of lost track of where I was."

She stretched out her hand to mine, "I'm Victoria. I believe my friends and I met your friend Emmett earlier."

"Yeah, I'm Edward. I guess we are supposed to be meeting up with you later," I said as I took her hand.

I had to admit that Victoria was beautiful; curves in all the right places and legs that went on for miles. She grinned at me, obviously taking notice of the appraising looks I was giving her.

"Well Edward, I really hate to cut this chat short, but I am meeting my friends for dinner. I suppose I'll see you later?"

I looked at my watch and was shocked when I noticed what time it was. I had been playing for nearly an hour.

"It was nice meeting you, Victoria. I suppose I should get back to my friends as well. Save me a dance tonight, okay?"

I gave her that crooked smile that I knew all the ladies loved, and left her speechless in the middle of the bar. I chuckled to myself as I walked back to my room. Maybe this week wouldn't be so bad after all.

**BPOV**

As we got settled in our room, I decided I better analyze the outfits that Alice had packed for me. She had a habit of going a little overboard with her clothing choices.

She started pulling out lace and spandex, and I groaned inwardly.

"Alice, you don't seriously expect me to wear that, do you?"

I was pointing at a very small leather halter top she had just pulled out of her bag.

"No silly! This is for me! This…" she moved in front of her bag, blocking my sight as she arranged the ensemble. She turned around holding the outfit up in front of her.

"This is for you!"

I gasped when I saw what she was holding, and Rosalie came flying out of the bathroom to look as well.

I was surprised by how simple it really was. It was a short white dress with black lining the straps and the top of the bodice. There was a simple black bow that tied in the middle, right where my breasts would be.

It was a little short for my liking, but I had to admit that it was beautiful.

"Alice, did you make this?"

"Yep! With you specifically in mind too! It's for tonight, and I can't wait to see you try it on! Go take a shower, so I can see how magnificent it looks on you!"

It was times like these that I couldn't imagine my life without Alice. I took the dress from her and wrapped her in a tight hug.

"Thank you so much, Alice! It's wonderful, really."

She beamed up at me.

"Don't thank me yet. I still have a lot in store for you Bella Swan. This is just a warm up."

I let go of her and walked to the bathroom, as I heard Alice yell:

"Oh! Bella! The rest of your outfit is in there on the counter."

I turned and looked at the bra and panty set she left out for me. They didn't leave much to the imagination. I wasn't going to try to argue with her. It's not like anyone but me was going to see them anyway.

Even though the dress Alice had made for me was short, I felt a little overdressed once I saw what Alice and Rosalie were wearing. Alice had outdone herself; she was wearing a very short and very tight pink dress that only connected in the front and the back. The sides were left open, revealing the skin from her hips and lower back. The front draped dangerously low between her breasts.

Rosalie wore a simpler black dress that accentuated her curves nicely. It was short and low cut, coming up to a halter around her neck.

"What exactly is the plan for tonight girls?"

I was almost afraid to ask after seeing the outfits they were sporting.

"There's a club we want to check out. There are quite a few on the boat, but this one plays everything but rap, which should be a nice change," Rosalie said.

"Have you two forgotten that I can't dance? Especially in these shoes!" I exclaimed.

"That's why this club is perfect, Bella," Alice explained. "You really don't need rhythm or grace to dance to rock music."

"Can we at least eat first?" I asked. "I'm famished, and if I don't eat anything all that head banging is going to make me pass out."

"Of course! There's a little piano bar on this side of the ship. They supposedly have all kinds of delicacies from the islands. Let's be experimental and check it out," Alice bounced up and down as she said this, probably dancing to the music already playing in her head.

It was already past six, the ship having left port a couple hours ago. We were now surrounded by ocean and the sun was starting to set along the horizon. It was beautiful and peaceful, and I stopped along the rail to take it all in.

I smiled inwardly at myself. Maybe Alice and Rosalie were right. This was what I needed. I felt renewed. Maybe I would meet someone who could sweep me off my feet and fall madly in love.

_Why was I stopping myself from being truly happy_?

I had accomplished the goals I had set for myself up until this point and I needed a new focus. Before I could think more about it, Alice and Rosalie were calling me.

"Come on dream weaver! Let's get something to eat!"

We linked arms and walked towards the bar. It was a small little place and the smells coming from inside were amazing. We sat at a tiny cocktail table and looked over the menu. Alice opted for the mini aloo pies, Rosalie went with a simple curry chicken meal, and I settled on the potato soup and a side of bread pudding.

The food was excellent, and we stayed a little longer than planned to listen to the beautiful piano music that was being filtered throughout the bar.

By the time we left the bar the sun had made its final decent below the water and it was pretty incredible how dark everything was outside of the boat. There was literally nothing for miles around, and the thought sent a shiver through my body. Thoughts of Titanic ran through my head.

Looking to escape the dreadful feeling that was coming over me, I grabbed onto Rosalie's arm, and dragged her and Alice towards the club.

"Come on girls, let's dance!"

Link – Bella's Dress: www2./commerce/application/prodDisplay/?namespacemoreInfo&prnbr9C-220940&cgnbrOSCLODRSBRA&moreInfoIndlargeView&groupCd &dispModeSTANDARD&buttonClickedbtnlgview&selColor

Link-Bella's Lingerie: s7ondemand7./s7ondemand/zoom/flashtzoom.jsp?companyPlayboy&skuPB-16030PINKzoom&configPB-16030PINKzoom&zoomheight550&zoomwidth455&windowtitleSweetest Hearts Bra and Thong Set

Link-Rosalie's Dress: s7ondemand7./s7ondemand/zoom/flashtzoom.jsp?companyPlayboy&skuPB-13001BLACKzoom&configPB-13001BLACKzoom&zoomheight550&zoomwidth455&windowtitleThat Little Black Dress

Link-Alice's Dress: /image.php?objecttypedetailed&imageid1506&windowpopup

Aloo pie is a soft, fried pastry made from flour and water, and filled with boiled, spiced and mashed potatoes and vegetables. It is traditional cuisine from Trinidad, and it is sooo good!


	6. Recognize

**So, to set the mood for this chapter, make sure you check out my profile to get the links for the music in this chapter. Also, a huge thanks to my beta Kaiti, you are an amazing girl and have fast become a wonderful friend!! Thank you so much!**

**Chapter 6 - Recognize**

**EPOV**

I met up with Emmett and Jasper, and told them about my meeting with Victoria. They seemed pleased that I was able to flirt so easily with her. I guess they had assumed it was going to be a lot harder to get me to meet someone.

We ate dinner at one of the small poolside cabanas, so we had a good view of all the scantily clad women. It was amazing how some of the swimsuits they were wearing could be considered legal. Fabric barely covered the most private parts of the female anatomy. It was a beautiful sight.

We walked around the boat and explored for a while; throwing a few bucks at the tables in the casino, and having a few drinks at the piano bar I had visited earlier.

It was nearly nine once we decided to head over to the club. People were already starting to fill up the dance floor, and you could smell the sweat and alcohol emanating from the crowd.

I looked around: a lot of the women were staring at us with drunken grins. I had to smile at the song that was playing. It's seemed all to appropriate.

_I like all the girls, and all the girls like me  
If there is no rapport  
Let me steal a kiss  
Yeah, I was made for only this  
And if you want one more  
Come back to my apartment, and I'll show what it's for_

We looked around briefly for the girls we were supposed to be meeting up with, but quickly gave up and headed to the bar. We were still a little early, and most women tended to be fashionably late.

I ordered a beer, and turned around on my stool to watch the dancing crowd.

"Holy hell, look at that!" Emmett yelled, before letting out a low whistle.

I looked in his direction and noticed the blonde he was watching. She was with her two friends, a slim pixie looking girl with short black hair, and a beautiful brunette who had the most amazing smile on her face.

Her eyes were watching her feet. She looked a little unsure of her movements. I had this sudden urge to take her in my arms and dance with her, assuring that she would not fall if she was with me.

A new song started to play and I could have sworn I heard every guy groan in disapproval. The girls, however, screamed and jumped and started dancing with abandon.

_I come home in the morning light_

_My mother says when you gonna live your life right_

_Oh mommy dear we're not the fortunate ones_

_And girls they want to have fun_

_Oh girls just want to have fun_

I kept staring at the timid brunette, hoping she would by chance look my way. She was having too much fun to glance anywhere, but at her friends who seemed just as happy.

_The phone rings in the middle of the night_

_My father yells what you gonna do with your life_

_Oh daddy dear you know you're still number one_

_But girls they want to have fun_

_Oh girls just want to have.._

At this point all the women in the bar started singing along with the lyrics, bouncing and laughing in large groups. Most of the men had cleared the dance floor and were watching them with the same stupid grin I was sporting.

_That's all they really want_

_Some fun_

_When the working day is done_

_Girls.. they want to have fun_

_Oh girls just want to have funnn_

The song ended and I tore my eyes away from the beautiful brunette to order another beer. When I turned back around to look for her, she was gone. I stood up off my stool to get a better look into the crowd, but they seemed to have disappeared. A slower song started to play and people were pairing off for a more intimate dance.

_So what do I do now_

_So what if I don't know how_

_So what do I do now_

_So what_

Again, the words of the song seemed to echo my thoughts.

I needed to find this girl again. I had to talk to her.

I looked up and down the bar, but there was no sign of her or her friends. I looked back to Emmett, and he motioned to the stool where Jasper was sitting. He was slumped over on his stool with his head in his hands. I didn't realize the conversation they were having; I was too busy looking for some unknown girl.

"What's up?" I mouthed to Emmett.

He glanced up at me, and just shrugged his shoulders.

"Jasper, man, are you okay?" I asked.

He didn't look at us, just mumbled something we couldn't hear over the music. He looked up and searched around the club. His eyes settled on what they were looking for, and a wave of sadness washed over his face.

I looked in the direction of his sight line. About five feet down the bar, and looking directly back at him was the beautiful girls' friend. A look of horror crossed her face, before she turned around, and ran out of the club.

"It's her," was all he said.

Everything clicked into place. The somber tone of his voice, and the shocked look on his face said it all. The girl with the short black hair was Alice Brandon.

**BPOV**

"I need some fresh air!" Alice shouted over the music.

I nodded my head, and followed her and Rosalie out of the club. We stumbled out laughing over ourselves and the last song. "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" was our tribute song all through college, so we just went crazy when the DJ played it.

We walked over to the railing on the deck, and slipped off our shoes. I tilted my head into the breeze and closed my eyes, allowing the wind cool my face. All the dancing had left me parched, so I soon decided to head back in and grab some water.

"Do you want something to drink?" Alice asked, before I had a chance.

"Yeah, that'd be great. I need to use the ladies room too. Rosalie?"

"I'll come with you Bella. It'll give me a chance to walk by the bar and get a good look at the stud checking me out in there," she said with a sinful grin on her face.

I rolled my eyes, and grabbed her hand.

"Alice, we'll meet you back out here," I directed.

She nodded and skipped off towards the bar. Rosalie and I walked back into the club where she pointed out the extremely muscular guy she had her sights on. He was very good looking. His face was almost angelic and when he smiled he showed the most perfect white teeth and cutest dimples.

To his left, I noticed a slimmer framed blonde with day old stubble on his face. Again, his features were near perfection and the whole hobo look he was going for came together nicely with his faded jeans with holes in the knees and a slim fitting Led Zeppelin t-shirt. With a face like that I was sure that he could wear anything and still look amazing.

To his left was another godly creature with his forearm propped up on the bar while he took a swig of his beer. He appeared to be looking for someone, so I was free to admire him without fear of getting caught. He was wearing a black button up with dark blue jeans. He wore the sleeves rolled to show his impressive forearms and the top two buttons were undone, revealing a chiseled, hairless chest. I caught myself biting my lip and looked up to admire his face.

I stopped there, too shocked to even blink. Everything looked exactly the same; his perfect, sculpted jaw line, his straight and angular nose, his gorgeous cheekbones and his flawless mouth, and of course, the disheveled bronze hair. Everything was exactly how I remembered it in my dream, except for the eyes. His eyes were the most radiant color green I had ever seen.

Rosalie nudged me in the side, "Bella?"

I tore my eyes away from the beautiful man, and stared at her with a shocked expression.

She grabbed both of my shoulders and shook them back and forth, "What is it Bella?! Talk to me! You look like you've seen a ghost!"

I stared back at her silently. I couldn't seem to make my mouth move or my voice make sound. She grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the bathroom.

Once inside she grabbed a paper towel, and wet it under the sink. She pressed it to my forehead, and sat me down on one of the chairs just inside the bathroom doors.

I took a deep breath and looked up at her. She seemed genuinely worried, so I decided I had better tell her what was up.

"It was him," I said in a shaky breath.

"Him who?" she asked.

"The….man from my dreams."

"The one you had before we left this morning? Wait, did you say dreams? As in more than one?"

"I had another one today on the plane."

"Oh! That's why you looked so pale! What happened?"

I explained what happened in the last dream I had, how he had attacked me, and tried to bite me, and how he had sparkled in the sun.

"Are you sure it's the same man? I mean, have you ever met him before?"

"No, I've never seen him before in my life. Did you see him? Is it possible that two people could possibly be that attractive?"

"I didn't notice really," she admitted sheepishly. "I was too busy staring at his friend."

I laughed before taking in a deep breath.

_Okay, so here is this gorgeous guy just sitting out there, and for some reason I've been having nightmares about him wanting to kill me._

_I've never met the man at the bar before, so how could I be dreaming about him? Surely I would remember meeting someone so beautiful._

I walked to the stall to use the bathroom. Rosalie stepped into the one next to me, and I could tell she was working out a plan.

"Bella, I think you should go talk to him. See what he's like, and if he's a nice guy, maybe you'll stop having these weird dreams about him."

"Right, and say what Rose? 'Ummm, hi! So, I've never met you before, but for some reason I get this feeling that you would like to kill me,'" I laughed at the thought of his response.

"Or, what if he is a real psycho and really does try to kill me? What then?"

"Oh Bella, don't be so dramatic!"

We both flushed, and met up again by the sinks.

She stared at me through the mirror and spoke in an authoritative tone:

"I'm going to go talk to that hunk at the bar, and you are coming with me. You can choose to stand there and look bored, or you can strike up a conversation with your mystery man and try to enjoy yourself."

"What about Alice?" I asked, grasping for any reason not to go out there and embarrass myself. "We are supposed to meet her back outside on the deck"

Rosalie sighed, looking a little deflated, but not defeated.

"Fine, you go out and get her. But, I expect both of you to join me, and the three men at the bar as soon as you find her. Don't make me tell your dream boy all about your interest in him before you have a chance to explain it yourself. You know I have the tendency to embellish a bit."

I blushed at the thought. Rosalie could be downright cruel if she wanted to, and I wasn't about to take any chances. I walked with her out to the club. She looked at me as we were about to part.

"Five minutes," she yelled.

I let go of her hand, and headed out to find Alice. I didn't think it was going to take much to convince her to come in and talk to a few hotties we had spotted, but I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw her.

She was hunched over, arms hugging her knees. Her shoulders were shaking uncontrollably. I ran over to her and knelt before her, trying to get her to look up at me.

She finally tilted her head up and her face was drenched with tears. Without a word I wrapped my arms around her and waited for the tears to slow.

"Alice, what happened? Who hurt you? What's wrong?"

She just shook her head at each question. She sobbed and took in a deep breath. I forced her to look at me, pleading her with my eyes to tell me what happened.

"Alice?"

"It's him, Bella. It's Jasper. He's here."


	7. Your Touch

Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**Okay, so now it's getting good! If you love it, let me know!**

**APOV**

I felt like I couldn't breathe. My eyes were burning, and my head was swimming.

Jasper was here. The love of my life, the one person I truly connected with besides Bella and Rosalie.

I had never been able to tell my friends much about Jasper. They knew I was dating someone. They knew it was starting to get serious. They saw the look on my face when I came home the morning after. They saw my tears the next day.

They didn't ask many questions, just fed me Ben and Jerry's and watched movies with me. They would try to get me to talk about it, always saying that it would make me feel better to get it off my chest, but I was never capable of doing so.

As much as I hated him, I still couldn't bring myself to betray him. I was sure that even if Rosalie and Bella knew about Jasper, they wouldn't judge or cause problems for us, but it was just a risk I wasn't willing to take.

Now, all I wanted was to tell them everything. How he told me he loved me and promised to always be there. How we made love for the first time and I had known for sure that he was my soul mate. How he broke my heart when I saw him kissing another woman, hours after we had just shared the most intimate and romantic moment of my life. How Jasper had been my teacher, and why I was sworn to secrecy.

"Alice, let me go get Rosalie and we'll head back to the room."

"No, Bella. I just really want to be alone right now. Please, go back to the club and I'll meet you guys back at the room later."

"But, Alice…"

I cut her off.

"I'll tell you everything, I promise. I just need a little time to think by myself. Please," I begged her.

"Okay."

I grabbed her hand and squeezed it, then turned around and walked back to the room.

**BPOV**

I watched Alice as she walked away, and it killed me that she wouldn't let me do anything to help her.

I remembered the only other night that I had ever seen Alice so upset; the night that some guy had cheated on her. Until now, I really didn't remember his name since she never said it after that. She always just referred to him as 'that creep'.

_Jasper_, I thought. Now it was all coming back to me.

She had been miserable for days. I had never seen someone self loathe the way that she did; calling herself a whore and dirty, for sleeping with someone who just threw her aside like a piece of trash.

It took a lot of ice cream, and a lot of shopping to get her to a point where she could at least fake being happy again. Rosalie and I knew she was lying to herself and to us, but we let her go on. We missed our friend and were happy when she finally seemed to be over it.

It had been almost two years now, but I could tell by the way she looked tonight that she had never fully healed. It broke my heart knowing that Rosalie and I didn't do more to get her to talk about it and get over the pain.

Seeing Alice like that made me thankful that I had never been in love before. If that's what love felt like, I wanted no part of it. I made it through high school and college without heartache. Seeing the way Alice looked almost made my loneliness worth it.

I started to think about the morning that Alice had stumbled into my dorm room, drunk on happiness. Her eyes had been alight with pure joy and you just couldn't make her stop smiling. We had called a very grumpy Rosalie over so she could tell us all about it, but all she would say was that it was the best night of her life and that she was in love.

I remember feeling a twinge of jealousy; I wanted to be that happy. I could honestly say that I had no idea what being in love felt like, and if it was anything like how Alice described, I wanted it. Watching her fall apart the next day made me change my mind.

I took a deep breath and walked into the club. I was sure that it had been more than the five minute time limit Rosalie had given me, so I tried to prepare myself for the embarrassment that lie ahead.

I spotted her at the bar just as she had smacked the dark haired man she was swooning over across the face.

_Wow, she must really like this guy. _

Rosalie took aggressiveness as affectionate. She secretly admitted to us one night that control and domination turned her on, so any man good enough for her had to be willing to try to put her in her place if necessary. Not that she would let him get away with it, she just loved the argument.

My suspicions were confirmed as a sly smile spread across her face as the man roughly grabbed her wrist when she tried to slap him again. I decided I had better make my presence known before it got out of hand; some men didn't know how to respond to Rosalie's domineering ways.

"Ahem!"

"Oh! Bella, there you are!"

"Yes, here I am. Rosalie, I…" but she cut me off.

"Bella, you just have to meet Emmett! He is a personal trainer, and he informs me that this ship here does in fact have a gym! Isn't that great?"

"That's wonderful, Rosalie. Look…" she cut me off again.

"This here is Edward, right?"

I turned slowly to the beautiful man to my right. I was not prepared for this. If I thought he was gorgeous before, words had escaped me for how I would describe him now that I was up close. He smiled a crooked smile that made my heart skip a beat, and stuck out his hand. I stared into his endless green eyes, and tried to remember my name.

"Right; and you must be Bella," he said, never breaking eye contact with me.

His velvety smooth voice echoed in my mind.

Rosalie snapped her fingers next to my face, pulling me out of my trance.

"Oh! Sorry! Yes, I'm Bella," I said as I extended my hand to his.

I was sure that my face was turning one hundred shades of red, but was distracted by the electric current that seemed to be moving through my body when our hands touched. I broke our gaze, and dropped his hand as if it were on fire.

He continued to stare at me; probably thinking I was crazy or something.

_Great Bella! Nice move._

I heard him chuckle, and dropped my eyes to look at the floor.

_God, now he's laughing at me. Could this get any worse?_

"Bella, would you like to dance?" his honey sweet voice asked.

_Yes, this could get worse; much worse._

I looked up at him with a somewhat apologetic grin on my face.

"Ummm, I really can't dance that well," I admitted.

I was blushing again, and before I knew what was happening, Edward brought his hand up to my face and lightly brushed my cheek. I closed my eyes and shivered.

_Oh God, what is this man doing to me?_

"You are really beautiful when you blush, Bella," he cooed.

"Oh, thanks," I laughed nervously.

I looked over at Rosalie, only to notice that she wasn't there. Edward must have noticed my confused expression.

"She's dancing with Emmett," he explained, and pointed them out on the dance floor.

It was a rather seductive tune, and I felt like I was watching something private as they ground against each other with each sexy strum of the guitar.

_I want it, you got it_

_So much_

_I'm crazy for_

_Your touch_

_Your touch_

I listened to the words, and I found myself craving to touch Edward again. I turned around to face him, and noticed he was staring at me again. He smiled that wonderful crooked smile and I couldn't help but smile back at him.

"You know, I was watching you before, and your dancing isn't that bad. Maybe I can show you a few things," he purred.

_Oh. My. God. He was watching me? For how long? When? Why? _

He cleared his throat after I didn't respond and smiled sheepishly.

"I guess that sounded a little creepy, huh?"

"Huh? Oh! No! I was just wondering… well… why were you watching me?"

He appeared relieved that he hadn't scared me away just yet, and even a little surprised. Then he laughed at my apparent confusion.

He was about to say something, but was cut off by the handsome blond I had seen with them earlier.

"Edward; sorry to interrupt. I can't find her anywhere. I'm just gonna go back to the room and call it a night."

Edward looked at me hesitantly, as if he were expecting me to say something.

I didn't understand why he was waiting for me to speak.

"What?" I asked him suspiciously.

"Ummm, Bella, this is Jasper. Jasper, this is Bella."

My eyes widened in shock.

"You're Jasper?!"

"Er, yes, do I know you?"

"No, but you most certainly know my friend, Alice!" I shouted at him.

He winced as I said her name. My eyes narrowed at him, waiting for an explanation. Instead, he looked at me pleadingly, and everything he said came out in a rush.

"Pleaseyouhavetotellmewheresheis! Please! Ineedtotalktoher! Ihavetoexplain!"

"I don't have to do anything for you creep! Alice is right where she needs to be, far away from you!"

I didn't know where this courage to yell at a complete stranger was coming from. All I knew was my best friend was hurting because of him, and I was not going to let him ruin this trip for her.

My shouting must have gotten the attention of Rosalie. She was at my side, arms folded across her chest, glaring at Jasper.

"Is this asshole giving you problems, Bella?"

Jasper rolled his eyes, and looked to Emmett for help.

"Uh, Rosalie, this is a friend of mine. I don't think you under…"

She cut him off.

"He is a friend of yours? Maybe you should tell your_ friend_ to back off!"

I could always count on Rosalie to be my body guard.

"Rosalie, I'm fine. I was just telling _Jasper_ here that he has no business with Alice."

I enunciated his name, hoping that she would recognize it. She blinked a few times in confusion, and then gasped in acknowledgement. She remembered.

"You!" she yelled at Jasper. "Bella, where is Alice?"

"She decided to go back to the room for the night. She wanted to be alone for a while, and wouldn't let me follow her."

"Oh great, Bella! We have to go make sure she's okay. Come on!"

We turned to leave, but were stopped by three pleading voices screaming to get our attention.

"Wait!"

They all wanted to say something, but Jasper chimed in first.

"Please, if Alice doesn't want to see me, fine. But let her make that decision. Tell her I will be at the lower deck library at noon. I'll wait there for her. If she doesn't want to talk, I won't ask anything else of her. Just please let her know I want the opportunity to explain."

I nodded my head in agreement, not really sure if I would tell Alice or not. He looked from me to Rosalie, who just glared back at him, and turned and walked away. Edward and Emmett watched him go, and then turned their attention back to us.

Edward spoke up first.

"Bella, can I have a word with you, in private?"

I looked over to Rosalie who seemed perturbed and ready to leave.

"Meet me out front in five minutes?"

She rolled her eyes, and turned to walk away with Emmett following closely behind her. I turned back to Edward and waited for him to speak.

I was a bit suspicious of him now. He was friends with a cheater. He was probably just as sleazy. He was certainly good looking enough to get any woman he wanted. It wouldn't surprise me if I was just another notch in his belt.

The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. This is what my dreams were trying to tell me. I was going to meet a beautiful man who was going to kill me by breaking my heart.

"What do you want, Edward?" I finally asked.

"Can we go somewhere that's not quite so noisy?" he pointed to the enclosed deck space to the right of the bar.

It looked like an outside break area for employees.

Without waiting for me to respond, he grabbed my hand and pulled me along with him. Once we were outside, I dropped his hand and crossed my arms over my chest. I looked at him expectantly, but he didn't speak. I decided to break the ice.

"Nice company you keep," I said, glaring at him.

He looked taken aback, not sure how to respond.

"Look, there's something you should know about Jasper, but it's really not my place to tell you. He didn't cheat on Alice, really."

I snorted and rolled my eyes.

"It's complicated," he tried to explain.

"It always is," I retorted.

"Listen, he loved Alice and probably still does. He was broken up about it, too. But there are things that happened that he never got a chance to tell her. She wouldn't listen to him and…"

"And why should she have listened? She saw him kissing someone else, after he took away one of the most important things she had to give! Why would she listen to a damn word he had to say? He used her!"

"No!" he shouted back. "You don't understand, it wasn't like that at all! Bella, please! You have to tell Alice to let him talk to her. I know it doesn't seem like it now, but I promise you that Jasper is a good man."

"Why should I believe you? I barely know you! I just met you!"

"If you would give me the chance, I would like for you to get to know me better. I would love the opportunity to get to know you as well."

He took a step towards me, and I backed away instinctively.

He smiled and looked down at me.

"Bella…" he breathed.

I was backed up against the railing, and I hesitantly looked up at him. He closed the last few feet between us and placed his hands on my shoulders. I took a ragged breath in; he was going to kiss me.

I stared at his beautiful, soft lips. I wanted to know what it felt like to have those lips tenderly caress mine. He leaned in closer. I could feel his cool breath on face. My heart was racing and I was sure that he could feel it, standing as close as he was. My eyes started to flutter closed, but something vibrating in my purse broke me out of my daze.

I turned my head just in time to feel his lips brush across my cheek. Heat roared through my entire body from the contact. The place where his lips touched me burned, and then cooled as he let out an exasperated sigh and his breath swept over my face.

He backed away from me, and ran his fingers through his hair. I looked up at him apologetically, and dug around in my purse for my phone.

"Hello? Yes, I'll be right there. Two minutes, Rosalie."

The line disconnected then.

"I'm sorry, Edward. I really have to go. I'll talk to Alice, but I can't promise anything."

"Can I see you again?"

I wasn't sure how to answer him. There was something intriguing about him. I wanted to know more.

At the same time, I didn't want to get invested. Less than 24 hours ago, I was dreaming about this man killing me. Less than five minutes ago, he was about to kiss me.

"Maybe," was all I could seem to commit to at the moment.

He smiled at me and took my hand. He turned around to head back into the bar, but was frozen in place as our eyes met the beautiful red head that was walking our way, yelling his name.

"Edward! There you are! I've been looking for you everywhere!"

He grimaced as he saw her, but gave her a polite smile.

"Hello Victoria, nice to see you again."

She was now face to face with him, and her smile faded as she turned to look at me. She glanced down at our entwined fingers, and shot me a menacing look.

I became instantly aware of our still clasped hands, and dropped his immediately.

"Maybe not," I spat at him.

I brushed past him and Victoria, shooting her a disgusted look of my own. I walked back into the bar, squeezing my way in between the now crowded sea of people. I had just about made my way outside to where I saw Rosalie standing, hands on her hips, when I felt a hand tug my arm and spin me around.

"Bella, that's not what it looks like," Edward looked at me pleadingly, trying to convey some unspoken emotion.

"You don't have to explain anything to me, Edward."

I turned around again to leave, but he tugged me back. Before I had an opportunity to think or react, he gently but fiercely pressed his lips to mine. My eyes widened in shock, and I could see the beautiful red head had witnessed it all.

She furrowed her brows, and her mouth turned into an unattractive frown. She turned around, and stomped off. I smiled under Edwards lips at her reaction. He pulled away from me then, and smiled beautifully at me.

I realized then that he thought I was smiling because he kissed me. I immediately wiped the smirk off my face and narrowed my eyes at him. I opened my mouth to speak, but he brought his fingers to my mouth to silence me.

"I've wanted to do that all night. Please don't ruin it for me," he dropped his fingers, and I pressed my lips into a hard line. "Good night, Bella."

Before he turned to leave, he pressed something into the palm of my hand and closed my fingers around it. He gave my fingers a tight squeeze, and I watched him walk away.

I walked numbly out into the ocean air. The breeze hit me, and I took a long, deep breath.

I was startled when Rosalie was suddenly right next to me.

"What was _that_?"

I looked up at her, and before I even knew it was happening, a huge smile covered my face. I searched for words that could describe what had just happened between Edward and me, but coherent thoughts failed me.

"I don't know, Rosalie. I really don't know."


	8. Because of Me

Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**Okay, this is just a little teaser to hold you over until I finish writing chapter 9. It's basically chapter 7 from Edwards POV. It is definitely worth reading, but you probably won't gain any new information. **

**A million thanks to my wonderful beta, Kaiti. You are an inspiration and a wonderful chick! **

**EPOV**

I was totally in shock over what just happened. Could it really be that Alice Brandon was here? Could it be possible that she was friends with the beautiful brunette that I was looking for? This was my in.

I looked over at Jasper, who was just staring out the door that Alice had left.

"Jas! What are you doing? Go after her!"

He looked up at me with a shocked expression. Without a word, he bolted off his stool and ran for the door.

This wasn't totally selfish. I remembered all too clearly what Jasper had been going through two years ago. I wanted to see him happy, and I knew if it were possible, he could be happy with Alice.

Before I could ponder on it further, the gorgeous blond that Emmett had been eyeing walked up to us.

_Wait, isn't she friends with the brunette, too? Where is she?_

"Hi there," she purred at Emmett. "I seem to have pulled a muscle in my lower calf here while I was dancing. You seemed like the type who knows your way around the gym. I was wondering if you could help me work it out."

With that, she hiked her leg onto the bar, just above Emmett's shoulder. I thought his eyes were going to bulge out of his head. He recovered nicely by running his hand up and down her injured calf.

"You just happen to be in luck. I'm a personal trainer by day, masseuse by night."

He wiggled his eyebrows up and down for effect, and I just had to laugh. The blond looked over at me briefly, and then turned her attentions back on Emmett.

"I'm Rosalie," she said, as she lowered her leg off the bar.

"Rosalie: what a beautiful name. I'm Emmett, and this is my friend, Edward. Pardon me for saying so, but you don't look like a stranger to the gym yourself."

"Well Emmett, I take pride in my beautiful body. It's too bad they don't have a gym on this ship. I love to get all worked up and sweaty."

I turned my head away from the two, afraid I would gag if I had to endure any more innuendos. I briefly heard a somewhat excited Emmett explain that there was a gym on the ship, and how he would love to show her around.

She in turn described, in all too much detail, how she would love for him to look over her squats to make sure she was doing them correctly.

I glanced over when I heard the conversation get quiet, just in time to see Rosalie slap Emmett across the face. She didn't look offended, but rather excited.

He bent towards her and whispered something in her ear. Just as she was about to playfully slap him again, he grabbed her by the wrist and a wicked grin enveloped her face.

_God, they're perfect for each other._

I was about to get up and begin my search for the lonely brunette, but a small voice behind me stopped me in my tracks.

"Ahem."

I turned around and there she was; the brunette with the beautiful smile.

"Oh! Bella, there you are!"

_Bella. Her name is Bella. Beautiful._

"Yes, here I am. Rosalie, I…"

The blonde cut her off. The brunette beauty appeared to be upset about something. I wanted to comfort her.

"Bella, you just have to meet Emmett! He is a personal trainer, and he informs me that this ship here does in fact have a gym! Isn't that great?"

_Introduce me. Introduce me. Remember me? My name is Edward. Say it. Say it!_

"That's wonderful, Rosalie. Look…"

Her voice was like music to my ears. Blondie kept cutting her off, and I was starting to get annoyed.

"This here is Edward, right?"

_I love this blonde girl_.

Finally, Bella turned to look at me. She looked terrified. I tried to smile at her, hoping she would realize I wasn't some serial killer, but she stayed frozen.

I would try speaking first.

"Right; and you must be Bella."

I stuck out my hand, but kept my eyes trained on hers. Still nothing.

Finally, blondie snapped her fingers and Bella jumped, apparently pulled out of her daze.

"Oh! Sorry! Yes, I'm Bella."

Well, at least she was speaking to me. She put her tiny hand in mine and I froze. I couldn't even bring myself to shake it; I just held it there like a lifeline, staring into her beautiful chocolate brown eyes.

Her cheeks flushed red, and before I could get adjusted to the heat that was flowing through my body at the contact of just our hands, she jerked away.

_Did I scare her?_

I couldn't pull my eyes away from her. I had to laugh. I'd never seen a woman react to me this way before. It was odd and wonderful at the same time.

She focused her eyes on the floor, apparently embarrassed about something.

I wanted to touch her again. I wanted to see her laugh like she did with her friends earlier.

A familiar song started to play and I was starting to think the DJ had a hard wire to my emotions tonight. "Your Touch" by The Black Keys started to resonate throughout the club. I saw Emmett and Rosalie scurry off to the dance floor together. This was perfect.

"Bella, would you like to dance?" I asked her.

This got her attention, although she still looked embarrassed about something.

"Ummm, I really can't dance that well."

Wow! Her cheeks are on fire! I don't think I have ever seen someone turn so many shades of red. Before I knew what I was doing, I reached my hand out to touch the natural blush on her face, half expecting it to burn me.

She closed her eyes at my touch and bit her lower lip. It was the most adoring thing I had ever seen in my life.

"You are really beautiful when you blush, Bella."

She had to know that every time her cheeks burned, my insides were aflame as well.

"Oh, thanks," she replied sheepishly.

She glanced around, probably looking for her friend. Here I was, a complete stranger, and her friend left her alone with me. Now I was touching her and telling her how beautiful she was. I must be scaring her.

I decided to give her an out if she wanted one. I pointed to the dance floor where Emmett and blondie were.

"She's dancing with Emmett," I provided.

She turned around to watch her friend, and a slight blush crept up her face again. There was something so familiar about her. Every time she blushed, every time she moved, smiled, and even blinked. It was all somehow familiar to me.

She turned back around, and I had to smile at the light flush that was still present on her face. She smiled entrancingly back at me, and I felt like my heart was going to thud out of my chest.

I had to say something, quick. I looked like and idiot just standing here staring at her.

"You know I was watching you before, and your dancing isn't that bad. Maybe I can show you a few things."

It came out a lot more seductive than I had planned, but she literally took my breath away. My shallow breathing was causing my head to spin and my voice to crack.

_Wait. What did I just say? Oh God she looks terrified again! I just told her I was watching her! How do I fix this?_

I cleared my throat for good measure, trying to take back control of the situation.

"I guess that sounded a little creepy, huh?"

She looked surprised at my assumption. That must be a good sign.

"Huh? Oh! No! I was just wondering… well… why were you watching me?"

I laughed at that.

_Isn't it obvious?_ I wanted to say. God I wanted to kiss her.

I started to explain myself, but Jasper was at my side. This could be bad. I wasn't ready for my time with Bella to end, but I was pretty sure once she saw Jasper, she would lump me into the 'cheater' category.

"Edward, sorry to interrupt. I can't find her anywhere. I'm just gonna go back to the room and call it a night."

I eyed Bella, waiting for the explosion. It didn't come. She looked confused, but I waited for the mud slinging.

"What?" she asked me.

_Wait a minute; didn't she know who Jasper was? Did she not realize he was the reason her friend darted out of the bar just moments ago?_

Okay, this is good. Maybe she didn't know what happened between Alice and Jasper.

"Ummm, Bella, this is Jasper. Jasper, this is Bella."

_Uh oh! There it is; the recognition_.

"You're Jasper?!" she yelled.

"Er, yes. Do I know you?" Jasper seemed just as confused as I did.

"No, but you most certainly know my friend Alice!"

Jasper visibly got uncomfortable, and shifted from foot to foot. Then he got desperate. I thought he was going to tear up right in front of me.

"Pleaseyouhavetotellmewheresheis! Please! Ineedtotalktoher! Ihavetoexplain!"

My heart went out to Jasper, but this just seemed to enrage Bella further.

"I don't have to do anything for you creep! Alice is right where she needs to be; far away from you!"

Seeing Bella angry was probably the sexiest thing I had ever witnessed. She was so tiny and so cute, but seeing her take on a complete stranger like this was enthralling.

Blondie caught wind of the argument, and stormed over like a mad hornet. Now, this chick was anything but cute. She was down right evil when she got mad. Something about her eyes told me not to piss her off.

"Is this asshole giving you problems, Bella?"

Jasper looked unsure of how to handle the situation. I was about to step in, but Emmett took over.

"Uh Rosalie, this is a friend of mine. I don't think you under…"

"He is a friend of yours? Maybe you should tell your _friend_ to back off!"

Emmett threw up his hands in surrender. I'd never seen him back down from a woman like that. He must have seen the evil in her eyes like I did.

"Rosalie, I'm fine. I was just telling _Jasper_ here that he has no business with Alice."

From the way Bella enunciated Jaspers name, I could tell she was trying to convey some secret message to blondie. It didn't take long for her to make the connection.

"You!" she yelled, pointing a finger at Jasper. I was glad I wasn't on the receiving end of her hatred.

"Bella, where is Alice?"

Even Bella looked a little scared of her.

"She decided to go back to the room for the night. She wanted to be alone for a while, and wouldn't let me follow her."

"Oh great, Bella! We have to go make sure she's okay. Come on!"

Blondie was fuming now, and Bella recoiled a bit at her words. I wanted to put blondie in her place for talking to her like that, but they both turned to leave.

"Wait!" I yelled. I noticed that Jasper and Emmett had voiced their desires as well.

Both girls turned around and waited, but the fire in their eyes gave me haste. Jasper was a bit braver.

"Please, if Alice doesn't want to see me, fine. But let her make that decision. Tell her I will be at the lower deck library at noon. I'll wait there for her. If she doesn't want to talk, I won't ask anything else of her. Just please let her know I want the opportunity to explain."

Bella nodded, but I wasn't sure that she was going to put in a good word for Jasper. I watched him walk away deflated. Maybe if I got Bella alone and tried to explain…

"Bella, can I have a word with you, in private?"

She turned to Rosalie, as if to ask for permission.

_What was with the control blondie seemed to have over her? _

Rosalie looked annoyed and not willing to budge, unless Bella was coming with her.

"Meet me out front in five minutes?" Bella pleaded with her.

Five minutes. That's all I had left with her.

_I better make this good. _

I wasn't sure where to start. I was wasting time, but I couldn't make my mouth move.

First things first, we needed somewhere with privacy. Before I could make a suggestion, she spoke up.

"What do you want, Edward?"

That doesn't sound good.

_Why is she angry with me? Have I done something to offend her_?

I needed to get her somewhere quiet, fast.

"Can we go somewhere that's not quite so noisy?" I motioned to an area of the bar that I had noticed earlier. It was outside, away from prying eyes.

I was afraid that she was going to say no, so I didn't give her a chance to respond. I grabbed her hand and quickly pulled her along with me.

The fire was burning inside of me again at touching her, but she didn't let me enjoy it for long. She immediately dropped her hand when we got outside and crossed her arms in front of her.

She was angry with me. I wasn't sure what I had done, so I didn't know exactly what to say to get her to let her guard down.

"Nice company you keep," she said with venom in her voice.

I didn't like being on the receiving end of her anger, even if I did think it was adorable. I figured I better get on with it, trying to save face for both myself and Jasper.

"Look, there's something you should know about Jasper, but it's really not my place to tell you. He didn't cheat on Alice, really."

She didn't believe me.

"It's complicated," I tried to explain.

This was definitely something that Jasper had to tell Alice himself. She would not appreciate the knowledge if it didn't come straight from him.

"It always is," she snapped back.

This almost sounded personal to her.

_Has she been hurt before?_

"Listen, he loved Alice and probably still does. He was broken up about it too. But there are things that happened that he never got a chance to tell her. She wouldn't listen to him and…"

Before I could continue she cut me off.

"And why should she have listened? She saw him kissing someone else, after he took away one of the most important things she had to give! Why would she listen to a damn word he had to say? He used her!"

This was definitely personal.

"No!"

This was going all wrong.

"You don't understand. It wasn't like that at all! Bella, please! You have to tell Alice to let him talk to her. I know it doesn't seem like it now, but I promise you that Jasper is a good man."

"Why should I believe you? I barely know you! I just met you!"

She had me there. She had no reason to trust me, but in that moment it was the only thing I ever wanted; her trust.

"If you would give me the chance, I would like for you to get to know me better. I would love the opportunity to get to know you as well."

I had to drive this message home. I took a step towards her, and she took a step back. I had to smile at her. She still looked angry, yet I could tell she was getting flustered by my advance.

I didn't want her to be afraid. I tried to be reassuring.

"Bella…" I said, in the most non-menacing voice I could muster.

She had no where to go. She looked hesitant, but she wasn't going to deny me. She knew what I wanted.

I wanted her to feel safe with me, so I placed both hands on her shoulders. If she wanted to push me away, she was in the best position to do so.

Her breath was becoming ragged. Her eyes moved from my chest to my lips. I leaned in closer. I could almost hear her racing heartbeat. Her eyes started to close. She wanted this.

I closed my eyes and closed the remaining centimeters between us, only to be met with the brush of her cheek. I opened my eyes and breathed out a sigh in frustration.

_What the hell?_

I looked down at her, and she was fidgeting in her purse. I backed away and ran my fingers through my hair. This was something I did when I got frustrated, which was exactly how I was feeling.

She found what she was looking for; her phone.

"Hello? Yes, I'll be right there. Two minutes, Rosalie."

She hung up and looked at me.

_So, where were we?_

"I'm sorry, Edward. I really have to go. I'll talk to Alice, but I can't promise anything."

_No! Not yet! _

"Can I see you again?" I asked, probably sounding a little desperate.

She thought about it for a moment, before finally answering.

"Maybe."

_Maybe. Okay, better than no._ _But, I need more._

_Okay, I just need to get her inside and persuade her to give me her number. No, I will give her my number. Let her be in control. But what if she doesn't call? _

I was running out of time. I grabbed her hand and headed back into the bar. I didn't get far before I noticed the red head coming our way.

_Victoria._

I had completely forgotten about her.

"Edward! There you are! I've been looking for you everywhere!"

I wanted to be polite, but I didn't want to let on that anything further was going to happen between us. I gave her a friendly smile, and tried to keep it casual.

"Hello Victoria, nice to see you again."

She finally noticed Bella, and I didn't miss the look of disdain she was giving her. Bella dropped my hand, and I groaned internally.

_No! How did this go so badly? _

"Maybe not," I heard Bella say from behind me.

She pushed her way forward and through the crowd. I was not going to let the evening end like this.

_No way! _

"Excuse me, Victoria."

I walked swiftly past her, not giving her the chance to stop me.

I reached into my pocket and found what I was looking for, then scanned the room for Bella.

I found her just as she was about to exit the bar, and I rushed to catch up with her. I knew she wouldn't hear me over the crowd, so I lightly grabbed her arm and twisted her back towards me.

She looked shocked and angry. I had to be quick. She had to know that Victoria was nothing, just someone I met before I knew she even existed.

"Bella, that's not what it looks like."

"You don't have to explain anything to me, Edward."

Of course I didn't. But I wanted to. I needed her to know that I was available to her, if she wanted me.

She tried to turn and leave me, but I wasn't having that. It was now or never, she had to know how I felt. I spun her around again to meet me, and without giving her time to react, pressed my lips to hers.

She tasted like honey and smelled like freesias. Fireworks were going off in my brain and every nerve in my body was tingling. It was the most amazing kiss I had ever had.

I felt her lips turn up into a smile, so I knew my job was done. I reluctantly pulled away from her, and returned her smile.

As the reality of what I had just done sunk in, she started to look angry again. She was just hell bent on making this night a disaster, wasn't she?

She was about to speak, probably to yell at me for kissing her like that, but I gently hushed her mouth with my fingertips.

"I've wanted to do that all night. Please don't ruin it for me."

She tightened her lips and stared up at me. I didn't know what else to say except:

"Good night, Bella."

I took the paper from my pocket with my room number on it and pressed it into her palm. I made sure she had a tight squeeze on it. All this would be for nothing if she lost it in her flustered state.

I had to walk away from her before I picked her up and whisked her away. She looked so beautiful right now, as if this was her first kiss. I turned to leave, and found a little corner in the bar to watch her walk away.

She seemed dazed, and I smiled at myself for that. Rosalie had obviously seen everything. She was hovering over Bella with a stupid grin on her face. Then I saw it. Bella was smiling the biggest, most beautiful smile I had ever seen on a woman before. And it was all because of me.


	9. TwitterPated

Chapter 9

**Here is the edited version of chapter 9. A huge cheer for my beta BB100 – Kaiti, who practically co-authored this chapter with me. **

**Also, be sure to check out my profile for the link to this chapters song, "Almost Lover" by A Fine Frenzy. Enjoy!**

**RPOV**

Waiting for Bella was proving to be an impossible task. If it wasn't for me, she wouldn't even be talking to dream boy right now.

I wanted to get back to our room and to talk to Alice. I need to find out if she was okay. She never really explained what happened between her and Jasper. I knew that she fell in love with him, gave him her virginity, then caught him kissing some other girl the next day.

_Pig. _

But beyond that, I had no idea what had happened between them. I knew none of the details of their short relationship.

As much as I was concerned about Alice though, I wanted to see Emmett again. I gave him my room number and told him to meet me at 2 am in the hallway. That should be enough time to talk to Alice, prepare myself for bed, wait for the girls to fall asleep, and then sneak out.

My thoughts turned to the events of tonight. When I first approached Emmett, I assumed that he would just be another great lay. His body was spectacular, his curly hair long enough to run my fingers through, his dimples cute enough to add a little charm.

Then I started to see the Emmett beneath the body. It's didn't take much. He was very trusting and obviously interested in me. He seemed to enjoy the aggressive banter between us and didn't take it too far like most men did. I shuddered at the thought of the many nights when things got out of hand.

But I quickly pushed those thoughts away from me. Emmett was different. I knew it the second he pressed his lips to my ear and whispered:

"You're safe with me."

It was almost as if he knew my life story. In that instant, I felt like an open book. I did what I thought was a normal reaction and slapped him. I felt bad the moment I did it, but he just smiled at me, and I couldn't help but smile back.

He leaned in again, not easily threatened.

"Rosalie, everything is going to be okay."

_How did he know so much about me?_

I instinctively reached up to slap him again. This time he stopped me. He grabbed my arm gently and held it there. I was really smiling now. He just stared back at me, with an almost sad look in his eyes.

_What is going on here?_

At that point Bella finally decided to join us. I wasn't ready for my moment with Emmett to end. I made quick introductions, putting on the bubbly façade again. I knew that once Bella met Edward, she would leave me alone.

Something was bothering her, but I couldn't quite bring myself to care at the moment. With Bella, it was usually just an overreaction, and I couldn't be bothered with her problems right now.

Once I made sure that Bella and Edward had been properly introduced, I turned my attention back on Emmett. He had been staring at me the whole time, and it was making me nervous.

I stared back at him, just trying to figure him out. Without a word, he took my hand and led me out to the dance floor. I barely heard the music. I stared directly into his eyes and he just stared right back. We were communicating on a level that I had never experienced before.

There were no words, just our swaying bodies. He had his hands on my lower back, pressing me gently to him. I wrapped my arms around his neck and held on for dear life.

Dancing with Emmett had been more intimate than I ever could have imagined, and not necessarily in the sexual way I was used to. Don't get me wrong, there was definite sexual energy flowing through the air between us, but that wasn't the only draw I felt.

When the song was over and the music died down, I distinctly heard Bella's high pitched angry voice. For a moment it was easy to forget about Emmett and find out why my friend sounded so pissed off. Heaven help the poor bastard that messed with my girls; hell hath no fury on the evil that is Rosalie Hale.

I wasn't prepared for the blonde man that Bella was screaming at. He was very good looking and had the most pitiful demeanor. I wasn't aware that Bella could handle herself so well in an argument. All the same, I rushed to her side to make sure everything was under control.

Imagine my surprise to find the blond just happened to be Jasper; Alice's Jasper. It took me a minute to remember the name, but the recognition hit me like a punch in the gut.

Images of Alice's pained face flashed through my mind and I just lost it. I knew I had to get out of there before I did something I probably wouldn't regret.

I couldn't believe it when Emmett said this jerk was a friend of his. If Emmett was anything like his friend, I was gone.

Once Bella informed me that Alice had already gone back to the room, I wanted to take my anger out on her for allowing Alice to go alone. I redirected and decided it was just best that we leave now before I exploded.

Leaving was not so easy. I had nearly forgotten about Emmett, already a casualty to my reaction of him being associated with Jasper in any way.

Jaspers plea for understanding was causing the vomit to rise in my throat. He said his piece and left.

'_Now can we go?__'_ I thought.

Nope, of course not, Edward wanted a word with Bella.

_Pathetic._

Even though she knew Edward was probably just as much of a sleaze as Jasper, she was still willing to give him the time of day.

Five minutes was all I was willing to wait for her. I stormed off, leaving Bella behind, only to be followed by Emmett.

I made it out side before I rounded on him.

"What the fuck do you want, Emmett? I'm not interested!"

I didn't even want to look at him. Not that I really had a choice. He grabbed my face and kissed me. His lips were tender, but urgent.

My mind turned to mush. All of the anger suddenly flowed out of me and I wrapped my hands around his neck and kissed him back. I was hooked.

He was kissing me with so much passion that my knees started to get weak. He moved his hands from my face to my shoulders, down my sides and around my back. He pressed me to him, and I wrapped my arms tighter around his back, curling my hands into his hair.

He smelled fabulous, like aftershave and woodsy cologne. He tasted like beer and peppermint. He felt warm and strong. He was safe.

I had never had such a reaction to a man before. When I met someone I was interested in, it was usually a very chaste and unemotional connection. Men only wanted one thing from me and up until now, I was okay with that. My body got what it craved, and my mind was free from the relationship garbage.

Now, before I even realized it was happening, Emmett was stealing my heart. I wanted him to know my body as well as my mind. The butterflies in my stomach and the racing of my heart were telling me this was different. He was different.

Emmett ended the kiss before I was ready, breaking away slowly and staring into my eyes. We were both breathless. I don't think even he was prepared for how that kiss was going to make us feel.

"Room 1257," I blurted out.

"When?" he asked, breathless.

"Tonight. Two AM. Meet me outside my room."

"Okay," he panted.

He took my hand, raised it to his lips and kissed it softly. Who knew a man with so much strength and prowess could be go gentle. I watched him walk away and took a deep breath to collect myself.

It was nearly eleven now and I couldn't wait for Bella anymore. I flipped open my phone and dialed impatiently.

_Ring. Ring. Ring._

"Hello?"

"Bella! Where the hell are you? Are you coming or not?!"

"Yes, I'll be right there. Two minutes, Rosalie."

She sounded out of breath and flustered.

_Had I just interrupted something between her and Edward?_

I didn't even bother to ask. I just hung up, so she could get going already.

Throwing my phone in my purse, I paced up and down the deck. What was I going to do when I saw Emmett?

_Maybe I shouldn't sleep with him. This is something different. I shouldn't screw it up by having sex with him right away._

Right, I needed ground rules: boundaries.

I stopped and faced the club, looking through the glass doors for Bella.

_Finally! There she is! Oh man she looks pissed!_

I was about to meet her halfway, but I noticed Edward behind her.

_God, what a fucking puppy!_

_Whoa! Did he just grab her__?__ Oh hell no!_

I was making my way back into the club, when I saw Bella turn around again. Maybe I wouldn't have to beat the shit out of this fucktard after all.

All of a sudden, Bella was whipped around again and before I could stop him, he was kissing her!

_Wait, who's the fire crotch? Christ that was fast. Well, fast for Bella._

_Didn't Emmett just do the same damn thing to me? What is with these guys__?_

I watched intently as Bella slowly turned around, and headed in my direction. She didn't even look at me, just stared straight ahead, looking stunned and confused.

"What was _that_?" I practically had to yell at her.

She still wouldn't look at me, but jumped a little when I spoke to her. Then, there it was, a huge smile enveloped her face.

_Oh __gawd!_

"I don't know, Rosalie. I really don't know."

She brought her fingers to her mouth and lightly brushed her lips. She looked at me then, and I could see the stars in her eyes.

"Wait a minute, what happened to_you_?"

"Me?"

_What the hell is she talking about?_

"God, Rose. Your lips are swollen and pink and you look like you've seen David Beckham. Jesus, you're blushing!"

_Me? Blushing? No way._

"Cut the shit, Bella. You're just seeing what you want to see. Can we go check on Alice now?"

I really didn't want to talk about this. I especially didn't want Bella to know my reaction to Emmett. I had a tough exterior to uphold.

I started walking towards our room, but Bella caught up with me.

"Rose!"

She pulled my arm and made me look at her.

"Oh wow! I've never seen you like this! He must have made quite an impression," she finished with a smirk.

I scowled at her.

"You have no idea what you're talking about."

I was surprised to hear her laughing at me.

"Rose, suck it up. It's finally happened for you. You're twitter-patted."

"I'm _what_?!"

"You know, Bambi with Thumper…twitter-patted."

I thought about the movie for a moment. Thumper… Emmett… and then I couldn't stop myself. I smiled.

**APOV**

I made it to my room successfully without breaking down again. As soon as the door clicked closed behind me, I fell. The levee crumbled and the tears flowed mercilessly.

Everything hurt all over. It felt like some invisible force had a death grip on my heart, and any minute now it was going to explode.

I didn't even bother to crawl to the bed. The bathroom was closer, so I managed my way to the cold hard tile, grabbed a towel and lay down.

_How could I have been so stupid?_ _I thought I was over this. Two years have gone by._

I needed to think of a plan to deal with this rationally. Here we were, stuck at sea. The ship was pretty big. I could avoid him as much as possible. The reality was that I knew he was here. I wouldn't be able to stop myself from looking for him around every corner.

Bring on the pain. Of course I would _want_ to see him.

He was here, on a singles cruise. That must mean he isn't still with her. He's available.

_Snap out of it, Alice! So what if he's single! He hurt you too much! If he loved you like he said he did, he wouldn't have done what he did. He doesn't want you! He never did, never will!_

The sudden realization brought on a whole new round of tears. I'm surprised my wailing didn't elicit a knock from security, wondering who was killing their cat.

My tears had been stifled into quaint sobs when I heard the door click open.

"Alice?"

I heard footsteps enter the room and the door close behind them. I tried to pull myself up off the floor, but this little ball of energy was expired. Who knows if the spark and flare I once prided myself on would ever reappear.

"In here," I managed to croak out.

"Oh my God, Alice! I'm so sorry we left you like that! I had no idea until Bella told me and then we came as fast as we could."

Rosalie was in panic mode. I was missing something here. She never got flustered.

"Its okay, Rosalie. I just wanted to be alone for a bit. I needed this time to think."

She kneeled on the floor beside me, and pulled me into her lap. I couldn't help it, the tears started to flow again.

Bella sat down beside us with a box of tissues and started to move my hair away from my face. She dabbed at the running mascara and the ever flowing stream of tears, but it was no use, they just kept coming.

"Alice, honey, we have something to tell you," Bella was mumbling, so I knew it must be bad.

"W-What is i-it."

"We met Jasper."

I sat straight up and the tears magically ceased. I looked from her to Rosalie, who both had stoic looks on their faces.

"What do you mean you met him? You don't even know what he looks like!"

"Well, it was by accident really," Rosalie chimed in. "There were these guys at the bar.."

"Oh my God, Rosalie! You were _hitting_ on him? Typical!"

"Hey, that's not fair! And _no_, I was not hitting on him! I was hitting on his friend!"

"Alice," Bella said in a soothing voice. "He wants to talk to you. He wants to explain himself."

"Are you on his side, Bella?"

"No, Alice! I don't even know what happened! You never told us! I'm just saying, he saw you too, and he was pretty broken up about it. He ran all over the ship looking for you."

"Look, there are things I didn't tell you about Jasper for a reason."

They both looked at me expectantly; I guess waiting for me to continue. I took a deep breath, and everything just came pouring out.

"Jasperwasmyteacher"

They both gasped at my admission, but didn't say anything. I continued.

"So, he was my teacher and I had this really huge crush on him. I used to go to class and be completely distracted by him, and wouldn't learn a thing. Remember when I bought that recorder?"

Both girls nodded their heads, but appeared too shocked to speak.

"I figured if I could record the lesson then I could work on my sketches and replay them later. Well even when I tried to ignore him, his voice would still put me in some kind of trance. Instead of sketching my designs, I would be doodling very inappropriate scenes of Jasper and I."

They snickered at this. They knew my very detailed artistic talent and how crude my fantasies could sometimes be.

"I was off in my own little world in his class, listening to his musical voice and drawing out my fantasies for the whole world to see - not that I even realized that anyone was paying any attention. Of course, the inevitable happened and Jasper caught me right in the middle of a very steamy illustration that involved rulers and lots of scotch tape."

I thought back for a minute on how red his face was when he saw it. There was no mistaking the Professor Whitlock title I had scrawled above his head and that the black haired pixie he was spanking was me.

"Alice?"

Rosalie snapped her fingers in front of me.

"You still with us?"

I shook my head and cleared the visual. Remembering what he said though still brought a smile to my face.

"_Mrs. Brandon, please stay after class so I can have a word with you."_

I remembered he had leaned in close, so that the entire class would not hear him. His breath had been hot on my neck, and he smelled so good.

"Yeah," I breathed out.

"Well? What happened?!"

Bella was kneeling on the floor next to Rosalie who was now sitting Indian style. Both of them were toying with imaginary objects in their hands and their eyes were as wide as saucers.

I had to laugh at their reaction. I guess I should have told them all of this sooner.

"Well at least she is smiling and laughing now," Bella said happily.

"Yeah, wouldn't you be laughing your ass off if you saw the picture she just described?"

It was silent for a moment while we all pondered what Rosalie had said. Moments later, we were all sprawled out on the bathroom floor, laughing hysterically.

I relaxed a bit, and the pain in my chest seemed to subside. I took another deep breath and began again.

"So, imagine my surprise when I noticed the immediate hard-on Mr. Whitlock was sporting after he saw my little picture."

The girls gasped again, but I continued.

"He asked me to stay after class, and it was almost too much. I was grinning from ear to ear and didn't even try to hide it. He noticed and smiled at me. I had just about come undone at that point.

"I didn't know if he was going to ask me to transfer to another class or tie me up and screw me. His face didn't give away anything.

"I don't know how, but he finished his lecture from behind his desk and didn't look at me for the entire hour. I was so embarrassed, yet I was super excited to think that maybe one of my fantasies would be played out on his desk."

The girls were in full giggle mode at this point, and I hadn't even gotten to the best part. I cleared my throat to signal I was ready to continue.

"Class ended and everyone shuffled out. I was so nervous, you guys have no idea. I got my stuff and walked to the front of the room. After everyone left, he finally got up and closed the door. Girls, let me tell you, he was still rock hard."

They both squealed at this and I was happy to have set the tone properly. I grabbed a tissue and sniffled a little bit, most traces of my recent crying fit were over.

"He wasn't even trying to hide it. God, I don't even know how to tell you this. It was just so amazing you had to be there."

I was blushing now, something I never did.

"Anyway, here goes. He walked towards me and I was kind of just frozen in shock. He was like a jungle cat stalking his prey. He got close enough that I could hear him breathing. I will still in a state of awe and couldn't move. He put both of his hands on either side of my hips and leaned in to whisper the most amazing thing I have ever heard in my life."

"What?!" they both yelled. "What did he say?!"

I tried my best to get the most seductive Jasper voice I could muster.

"Alice, you've been a bad, bad girl. I think you need a spanking."

Bella and Rosalie started screaming at this. I was hoping this would be the kind of reaction I would get.

"Yeah, so needless to say, I was instantly wet. I didn't know what to do, and he was just staring at me. So I hopped up on his desk, got on all fours, and asked him to punish me."

"Shut up! No you didn't!" Rosalie screamed. "That is a total Hale move Brandon. I am fucking proud of you!"

"I learn from the best," I chided. "Would you like me to go on?"

Both girls nodded their head vigorously.

"I think the Professor got kind of nervous at that point. I mean, here I was, a student, and here he was, my teacher, and there we were, well…you understand how that would have looked if someone were to walk in at that moment."

Both of them groaned in disappointment.

"It's okay, though. I mean, you both know what happened. He told me in not so many words that he could get in a lot of trouble, but that he had noticed my drawings before and couldn't resist temptation anymore. We had to keep everything on the down low. He made me swear to not even tell you guys."

"But Alice, I still don't understand. All of that pent up sexual energy, but you still didn't have sex with him until the night before…"

I cut Bella off before she could continue.

"We all know what happened, I don't need any reminders. But, to answer your question, yes. It was actually him who decided not to get into a sexual relationship with me so fast. He had just gotten out of a really bad relationship with someone and he was my professor. You know, neither of us wanted things to get messy. I really didn't even expect things to get so emotionally connected between us. At first, he was just my teacher that I had a crush on."

"Yeah, well you still only went out on a few dates before you fucked him. How strong of an emotional connection can there be in that amount of time?"

I rolled my eyes at Rosalie. Of course she wouldn't know.

"First, I didn't just _fuck_ Jasper. We made love."

Rosalie scrunched up her nose at that, but I went on.

"It was beautiful, and painful, and glorious, and everything I ever imagined it could be. Even after it all, I will never regret Jasper as my first. He was patient and gentle, and I think that's what made it harder when I saw him the next day. It really felt like he loved me. He cared about me and took his time, and I trusted him with every fiber of my being."

I thought I heard Bella sigh, but talking like this was starting to make the tears well up in my eyes again.

"You know what happened after that. And that's it. It was over. He tried to call and I know there were a few nights that he slept outside my door. I just couldn't bring myself to see him."

Bella cleared her throat, and I could tell she was on the verge of tears herself.

"You know Alice, Rosalie and I both stood up for you out there. But, I could see the look in his eyes. He was devastated. He really wants to talk to you. If you think that you are ready to hear him out, he wanted me to tell you that he will be in the library at noon tomorrow. I don't really think he's expecting you to come, but he wanted you to have the option. He said he'd wait all day."

I stared off at nothing in particular, not really knowing what to say. How could I make this decision now? This was so unexpected.

"Listen, just think about it. If anything, it could bring you closure. You don't have to accept any excuse he is willing to give you. Just listen to what he has to say. You don't even have to speak. Let his words sink in, and then no matter what you decide, you will know the right decision to make."

I could see the glare that Rosalie was giving Bella out of the corner of my eye; always the protector. I heaved myself up off floor and the girls followed suit. I think they were afraid to see me topple over after my exhausting crying fit.

"I'm fine, really. I'm just going to shower, put on my iPod, and try to get some sleep. I'll let you guys know what I decide to do in the morning."

They enveloped me in a hug, and I trudged off to my suitcase to pull out the most comfortable sleeping arrangement I could find. It was times like this that I almost wished I had a pair of hideous sweats and a too large t-shirt to accompany my mood.

_I bet Bella would have something…_

I pushed that thought right out of my head. There was no way I was going to allow Jasper to have an affect on my wardrobe!

I took a hurried shower, and donned a pair of silk cheeky boxers and a matching slim spaghetti tank. I sprayed the linens with my trusty Unwind Spray, and slipped under the covers.

I searched my iPod for the perfect mood music, and I stopped once I heard the sweet musical voice destined to wrap up a night of heartbreak. The words swirled in my mind, and I silently cried myself to sleep.

_Goodbye, my almost lover  
Goodbye, my hopeless dream  
I'm trying not to think about you  
Can't you just let me be?  
So long, my luckless romance  
My back is turned on you  
Should've known you'd bring me heartache  
Almost lovers always do_


End file.
